Jennings shows flashes of quality as LSU's quarterback

BATON ROUGE – So far, LSU No. 1 quarterback Anthony Jennings has started two games and has not yet hit double figures for completions.

He is 2-0 as a starter, though, and has thrown three touchdowns, including an 80-yard score to wide receiver Travin Dural Saturday in the Tigers' season opening, 28-24 win over Wisconsin. Jennings and Dural, a sophomore from Breaux Bridge, also connected on a 49-yard touchdown to beat Arkansas last season in the final moments after Jennings came off the bench in the fourth quarter for an injured Zach Mettenberger.

Jennings was 9-of-21 passing for 239 yards and two touchdowns Saturday after hitting 7-of-19 for 82 yards with an interception and a touchdown in the 21-14 win over Iowa in the Outback Bowl last season. That is a combined 16-of-40 for just a .400 completion percentage. But one cannot say he does not have a flair for the dramatic, and he got better as the Wisconsin game went on.

After completing 5-of-15 passes for 120 yards in the first half with the 80-yarder to Dural, he hit 4-of-6 for 119 yards in the second half Saturday. He also did not throw an interception or fumble amid two sacks.

"I think Cam did a great job in managing the situations for Anthony. But then we got to a point where we had to do the things that we do best, I thought he did a real quality job calling plays and managing a young quarterback."

Jennings' four completions in the second half were all for significant gains — 44 yards to Dural to set up a field goal, 12 yards to wide receiver John Diarse on a third-and-seven play in another field goal drive and a 27-yard pass to Dural before the 36-yard touchdown to Diarse to get the Tigers within 24-19 in the fourth quarter. Then Jennings sprinted out and hit freshman wide receiver Trey Quinn perfectly for the two-point conversion to close within three points of the Badgers 24-21.

"I think we saw some confidence in that position, and I think that Anthony responded," Miles said.

"I got more comfortable in the pocket and more comfortable with the defense they were running," Jennings said. "All my teammates around me helped calm me down and got me in the groove of things."

Jennings did not make any bold statements about his future as LSU's starter with true freshman Brandon Harris just getting in for one series and not attempting a pass while getting sacked.

"I don't know," Jennings said when asked if he now thinks he is the permanent starter. "That's up to the coaches to decide. I'm just coming in every day in practice and trying to get better with what the coaches give me."

Jennings is expected to start Saturday when the Tigers (1-0) host Sam Houston State (1-1) at 6:30 p.m. in Tiger Stadium, and he expects to play better when he starts back-to-back games in back-to-back weeks at LSU for the first time.

"I expect to be exponentially better," he said. "I got this game under my belt, and I'm getting more comfortable with the offense and those guys rallying around me. I'm just coming to practice every day and trying to get better."